Doors at 7:30 pm; Show at 8:00 pm
Tickets are $15 - $20 Sliding Scale
Bay Area comedian and comedy producer, Lisa Geduldig (of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy™), and Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center joined forces in 2017 to bring the East Bay a new monthly (the second Thursday of the month) comedy series, Comedy at Ashkenaz!
This show has been presented monthly for almost two years. Since launching, Black History Month, International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month, Gay Pride, and Mother’s Day have been commemorated; there has been a political comedy night; and funds have been raised for three organizations and causes (the Redwood Empire Food Bank which provided food to shelters in Sonoma County for residents displaced by the North Bay fires, RAICES: The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and Alameda County Community Food Bank).
And now for the first time, Comedy at Ashkenaz commemorates Father’s Day. The Thursday June 13th installation of Comedy at Ashkenaz will be a Father’s Day Comedy Show featuring a multicultural line up of Bay Area comedians who are dads: Tom Ammiano, Samson Koletkar, Jeff Applebaum, with MC Lisa Geduldig.
Tom Ammiano, The Mother of Gay Comedy, has been a stand up comic since 1980 when he pioneered gay comedy night at the Valencia Rose in San Francisco. He is also a legendary SF leader who has served the city for four decades as a teacher, School Board President, President of the SF Board of Supervisors, and has had an unmatched record of achievement as a member of the State Assembly. In 1975, Tom came out as the first openly gay teacher in SF. In 1977 he worked on the No on 6 campaign with Harvey Milk, successfully defeating an anti-gay initiative to ban gay teachers in California. Tom went on to be elected to the SF Board of Education from 1990-1994, the Board of Supervisors from 1994-2008, and was elected to the California State Assembly in 2008. Tom has been at the forefront of reform on many issues including affordable housing, LGBTQ rights, education, labor, immigration, prisons, and marijuana. He has given a voice to underrepresented communities throughout his career. Tom is a father and a grandfather. www.tomammiano.com
Samson Koletkar was born in Mumbai and raised Jewish. He spent most of his childhood years burning the midnight candles for earning a Masters Degree in Computer Software, thereby fulfilling his parent's dreams. He then moved halfway across the world, to the technology headquarters… and a hotbed for emerging comics: San Francisco. Samson was included in 10 Best Indian-Origin Comedians of the Last Decade by BookMyShow, 10 Indian Comedians Who Found Success in the U.S. by Silicon India, and SF Chronicle published a cover article on him India-born Stand-up Builds Comedy Utopia in Oakland. He is the founder of Comedy Oakland and co-founder of Desi Comedy Fest, the largest South Asian comedy festival in the US, held every August since 2014 in multiple cities across the Bay Area. The festival also completed a tour of India in 2016 and has created satellite events in LA, San Diego, Portland, Seattle & New Jersey. Samson is the headliner of the You're Funny But You Don't Look Jewish comedy tour (with 40+ performances across the US and Canada): Italian American, African American, Vietnamese American, and Indian American Jewish stand up comedians share the stage and their own experiences about being ‘undercover’ members of the tribe. Samson is the father of 2 daughters. www.mahatma-moses.com
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NJZ1NBjksY
Jeff Applebaum, a native New Yorker, made his national TV debut as a comedian on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He has also appeared on Comics Unleashed, America's Got Talent, and has opened for comic legends Robert Klein, Mort Sahl, Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Elayne Boosler, and more. He's also a frequent guest on KGO Radio, 810 AM in San Francisco. Jeff plays the role of Joey Bishop in The Rat Pack Tribute and is also credited and appears in the blockbuster film The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith. Jeff is also active in hi-tech and is the father of 2 sons and 1 daughter. www.JeffApplebaum.com
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDfFKAE0D5w
Lisa Geduldig is a local comedian and comedy producer who’s the creator, producer, and MC of a variety of comedy shows including Kung Pao Kosher Comedy™ - Jewish comedy on Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant (which celebrates its 27th year in 2019) and Comedy Returns to El Rio! (which just celebrated its 10th Anniversary in May).
**While Ashkenaz is an all ages venue, the comedy shows are not recommended for kids under 16.
